At WD-40 Co., there are no teams. Instead, there are tribes. Tribe members look out for one another, feel a sense of belonging, and share the company’s values and vision. Compassion is at the heart of WD-40’s work culture, which strives to create a community of highly engaged employees who deliver their best every day.

Chairman and former CEO Garry Ridge believes that when workers are cared for, they yield remarkable results. Caring doesn’t mean coddling, he stresses. This compassionate approach delivers business outcomes, produces quality products, and benefits shareholders.

When Ridge took over as CEO in 1997, employee engagement was about 50 percent, market capitalization was $250 million, and WD-40 was primarily a domestic U.S. business. By 2020, Ridge noted in a post on LinkedIn, it had transformed into a global enterprise with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion and an employee engagement score of 93 percent.

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